Lesson 49: There is no problem if: ~아/어도 되다

Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use. You might not be able to understand all of the grammar within the example sentences, but any grammar you can’t understand will eventually be introduced in later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be found here.

Common Usages:
명예를 얻다 = to gain honor
명예퇴직 = “retiring with honor” (usually used when somebody retires before the regular retiring age. The opposite of this [to retire at the regular retiring age] is정년퇴직)

Examples:당구를 여기서 쳐도 돼요 = You are allowed to play pool here
형이랑 (같이) 당구를 하면서 술을 마셨어요 = I drank alcohol with my brother while playing pool
내일 친구랑 같이 당구를 칠 계획이 있어서 회사에 갈 수 없어요 = I have plans to play pool with a friend tomorrow, so I can’t go to work

Examples:내일 시합에서 명예를 회복해도 돼요 = You can regain your honor during tomorrow’s game
연습을 많이 해도 시합에서 질 거예요 = Regardless of how much you practice, you will lose the match
오늘 시합에서 이기면 결승전에 진출할 수 있습니다 = If we win the match today, we can advance to the finals

Notes: “증” refers to some sort of proof that one can, or is allowed to do something. For example:
면허증 = drivers licence (a card showing that one can/is allowed to drive)
학생증 = student card (a card showing that one is a student)

As such, 자격증 is a document that shows proof that one is qualified in something.

Common Examples:
자격증을 따다 = to get a certification/certified

Examples:자격증을 안 보여줘도 돼요? = I don’t need to show you my certification?
한국에 젊은이들은 취업을 하기 위해 많은 자격증을 따요 = Young people in Korea obtain a lot of certificates to get hired

The noun form of this word (“회복”) translates to “a restoration.”
The pronunciation of this word is closer to “회보카다”

Common Usages:
건강을 회복하다 = to restore one’s health
컨디션을 회복하다 = to restore one’s condition “컨디션” is used in Korean to indicate that one’s body “condition” is good or not good (usually to indicate that one is sick or not sick)

In this lesson, you will build on your understanding of ~아/어도 to make sentences using 되다. Using these concepts, you will be able to indicate that here is no problem if something is or is not done. Let’s get started.

Another meaning of 되다

In previous lessons, you learned some uses of the word “되다.” For example in Lesson 9 you learned that it can be used as a stand-alone verb which means “to become:”

Another usage of “되다” is to indicate that there is “no problem” with something. Common translations for this can be “for something to be going well” or “for something to be working (well).” You can typically place “되다” after a noun to indicate that there is no problem with that noun. The word “잘” is often included in these sentences as its nature to mean “well:” For example:

You can also use 되다 to tell somebody to stop giving you something. For example, if somebody is filling up a glass of water for you, and you want to say “Okay! That’s enough!” you can just say “됐어(요)!”

If you wanted to say the opposite – that is – that something is not going well, not working or is not finished, you should use the word 안 (even though the usual opposite of “잘” is “못”). “잘” can also be included in these sentences along with “안” (just like how “잘” can be used alongside “못”). For example:

The final clause of all of these example sentences has been in the present tense. It is possible to conjugate 되다 to the past or future tenses to indicate that there would have been no problem if an action had been done, or will be done in the future. For example:

그때 나가도 되었어요 = It would have been okay if you left at that time문을 열어도 되었어요 = It would have been okay if you opened the door

In the previous section, you learned how to indicate that there will be “no problem” if some action was completed. In order to indicate that there will be “no problem” if some action doesn’t occur, you can conjugate the verb before ~아/어도 negatively using 안 or ~지 않다. For example:

네가 빨리 안 가도 돼 = Regardless of if you don’t leave quickly/early, there is no problem

This typically translates to “it is okay if one does not” or “one doesn’t have to.” For example:

In all of the sentences in this lesson using ~아/어도 되다, the common meaning applied to all sentences is “it is okay if…” or “there is no problem if.” Instead of using 되다, other words that have a similar meaning can be used as well. The two most common substitutes for 되다 in this usage are 좋다 and 괜찮다. For example: